27 September 2014

Sandbox - 27sep14

[A refreshingly new sandbox is filled and ready for your divers thoughts, ideas, and repartees. I would be interested in a thread that discusses the 'Ring of Fire' rumblings going on. What really concerns me is that not much is being said about the really big one under Yellowstone. When that one goes we will all be wishing we had more emergency food and ... ]

Comments

On Friday evening, October 3, 2014 at Nevada City's St. Canice Center, Common Core Concerns, a local group concerned about the problems with the Common Core State Standards, are sponsoring an event featuring Krisanne Hall, a constitutional attorney who travels the country to teach the history and meaning of the United States Constitution. Her talk is titled, "The Constitution and State Sovereignty."

The next day Hall will present her 5-hour Constitution class at Church of Glad Tidings in Live Oak, CA.

When you look at this linked graphic one is left wondering is there is a connection, is there a highly complex communication path between the the earths inner pool of molten lava and the reduced energy of the magnetosphere due to the declining number of sunspots? We are experiencing a very low sun spot cycle and vulcanism seems to be increasing. Seems is the key word, I do not have any data.

Why are there so many large eruptions listed on the graphic during cold periods on the earth? The cold seems to be linked to fewer sun spots. Yet, during the periods of low sun spots, there are more major volcanic eruptions that impact the climate.

This might be a chicken and egg problem, which produced the cold, the reduced sunspots or the extensive volcanism? Looking at the graphic, one might conclude the cooling started before the increased number of major volcanic eruptions. That brings us back to the question, are they linked by some highly complex communication process, like other complex communication paths in nature. Does fewer sunspots and a cooler climate signal increase vulcanism? Look at the chart again.

Long Valley Caldera rattled by more than 1059 earthquakes in latest seismic swarm

September 2014 – CALIFORNIA – The Long Valley Caldera is experiencing a large seismic swarm. As magma moves through the earth, it displaces and fractures rock along the way. This movement causes earthquakes that can be recorded with seismometers at the surface of the earth. Seismic monitoring is the most used technique for volcano surveillance. Volcanic earthquakes often provide the initial sign of volcanic unrest. Their signals differ from typical, tectonic, earthquakes because they tend to be found at depths shallower than 10 km, are small in magnitude (< 3), occur in swarms, and are restricted to the area beneath a volcano. Harmonic tremor, or volcanic tremor, is the name for the continuous, rhythmic seismic energy associated with underground magma movement. At Long Valley Caldera, there are currently 61 seismometers that make up the seismic network used to determine earthquake location and energy of movement with time.http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2014/09/27/long-valley-caldera-rattled-by-more-than-1059-earthquakes-in-latest-seismic-swarm/

If you dig a big deep hole in your yard straight thru the center of the Earth, you would end up in the Indian Ocean, not China. Surprise, Surprise!, as Gomer Pyle would say. File this comment in the encyclopedia of worthless information.

The information provided is not only worthless, it is also moot. Digging such a hole would take many lifetimes. Even if this hapless, hypothetical, hole digger lived long enough, he would encounter temperatures as high as at the surface of the sun and be vaporized before reaching Earth's center.

Well, Mr. Kesti, guess it would be hell on Earth for the poor soul who tried such an endeavor. But, it the hapless chap managed to punch a hole through the rather warm center, imagine what pressure he would bear when he punched through the bottom of the Indian Ocean. That, my dear fellow, is the definition of a bad day. :)

Speaking of having a bad day, this one ranks right up there. After firefighters were mopping up a forest fire back East, they came upon a body in a wet suit. Puzzled by why the deceased was wearing a wet suit in the middle of a burned up forest, the answer came to them. The poor chap was skin diving and snorting about in some body of water when he got scooped up by a water helicopter and was dropped right on the burning inferno. Wonder what was going through his mind when he was plucked from the water, lifted high in the sky and the last thing he saw as either the belly of the aircraft or the fast approaching ground fully engulfed in fire. That is a bad day that started off so nice.

Re supply of STEM graduates. Over the past years we have had the debate about America's supply of STEM graduates. Recently reports have surfaced claiming that we have a surplus of STEM workers while corporations experience shortages in the kinds of STEM workers they require. My response has been that the shoreline of knowledge has become so long and convoluted (read specialized) that having just a STEM degree is no longer sufficient to guarantee employment. The STEM student needs to be aware of what specialties do the STEM job markets demand, and then tailor his study areas accordingly. Simply citing the number of STEM degree holders having to take non-STEM misses the point. You can no longer shotgun your STEM education, you have to rifle shoot it. Here's more (H/T to a reader for this link).http://arstechnica.com/science/2014/09/are-we-producing-too-few-or-too-many-science-and-technology-grads/

Our global warmists have been strangely quiet. Too much factual evidence against their
trumped up beliefs?
Ya' gotta love the photos of the aftermath of the earth lovers uh, "gatherings".. Trashed beyond belief. Ever hear of a garbage can? Or did they have a contract with the garbage cleanup union? Even the 5 gallon buckets used in their drum circles are left for others to deal with.

While I'm on a role,, again,, where are the illegal war gang? ( Paul the chief loudmouth)
They (he) wanted Bush's head on a plate and charged with a crime. But now that it's"their" guy,,, crickets... Not a peep.

Russ. Last year there was a similar swarm of quakes near Hawthorn. Some believed " Mt. Harry Reid " was going to emerge. Yet nutt'n... Those kept the security cops there more than busy, as sensitive as all those storage bunker bugler alarms are.

Mr. Walt, suffer me to attempt to answer one or more of your questions. The Global Warming crowd has not gone anywhere. Why are they quiet today? Elementary my dear Watson. They are still sleeping it off. You will hear the bongo drums as soon as they recover from their last street party. After all, it's only been one week today and these events are 9 months in the planning before giving birth.

Cannot speak for our dear close personal friend Mr. Paul, but I hazard to guess he got too wet in the rain last night at the Celtic Festival moving his feet to the Screaming Orphans and getting down with the peaceful laid back West Coast crowd. Over the moon as the say, followed by under the weather. What goes up must come down.

No need to wonder there Mr. Walt. In nothing else, that crowd is consistent. Bad press? surely you jest. They be the good guys and when you are on a mission from God, there is no time to clean up trash while you are cleaning up the planet. Bad press? Nay, it is just the negative extremist flat earth whack sacs like moi being a naysayer. They be consistent, so no cleaning up. Name one time they did such a task beneath the dignity of being the self appointed saviors of a very saddened Mother Earth. Name one.

Obama says “the country is definitely better off than we were when I came into office.” But the people “don’t feel it.”

What is wrong with you people, why do you keep disappointing our poor confused President, he is trying so hard to make the real world fit his socialist model and you just keep failing him. How sad. /sarc off

Indeed Russ....if only you people weren't such reactionary clods you to could recognize his beneficence!

/now sarc is really off!

...and now the news from the Eastern Sierra Front.....

Looks like Steve gets to live in Truckee for another few years....

Sierra Business Council chosen to help small businesses in our region

“In addition, free workshops and classes will be offered in a variety of topics including Lean Start Up, business model generation, energy efficiency and social media strategies. SBC will also provide counseling and access to capital advisory services for start-up, small business expansion and entrepreneurial ventures."

This service provided in addition to the myriad other reasons why Steve is simply too busy to enjoy the "jousting" here in "Hells Little Half Acre"!

I would reply to George but we are too busy over here on the eastern side of the hill working on high speed broadband, installing an electric charging network, building a community scale biomass facility, doing 8,000 acres a year of forest thinning, writing a Climate Action Plan, installing millions of dollars worth of energy efficiency improvements, streetscaping Kings Beach and Truckee, installing water quality improvements, building a high Sierra local food network, starting up co-working spaces, building bike trails, building pocket parks, and seeing the highest occupancy rate in retail in more than a decade, all while enjoying a 20% higher per capita income.

Isn't "streetscaping", building bike trails, and building "pocket parks" the kind of thing the Junior League used to do back in the day....sans grant money? And isn't "installing an electric charging network, building a community scale biomass facility" what they do in all those post apocalyptic movies (nukes, plague, zombies) to try and re-establish society? "Hey....it looks good on you" /Dangerfield

...and of course jeffy will be in attendance!

We are working extra hard to clear our workload to attend the “Peak Innovation Conference” on October 8-10 in Tahoe City. Meanwhile, here’s the press release on the honor to help small businesses in our region. Good going:

Streetscaping....Pocket Parks = "Peak Innovation". This country might as well just hold its "Going Out of Business" sale now while there are still assets that have some value. The popping sounds aren't "heads exploding" Michael it's the sound of jaws hitting desktops watching you guys jerk each other off over this silliness!

SBC has no "business" in the true sense. It is government and tax money that passes through. Also land trusts. So he is simply a contract government employee making 100K a uear to oversee our tax money. Nothing more.

Frisch is a prime example of the goblet-gook that socialists use regarding language. There is nothing that he will do that will make any private sector business and/or jobs. He is simply a leech on the economy of pass through from the taxpayers and a double whammy on the economy. Jyust like a welfare queen, nothing real is produced it is just an illusion. Covered over with fancy words.

Checking, a new record at Peeline's... as of moments ago, 8 of the last ten comments are by a Pelline (Jeff and the Annie Fox sox).

Yes, SBC is collecting more rent. I wonder if they will be using Frisch's failed restaurant and his misappropriation of taxes withheld from his payroll as an example when "servicing" whatever small businesses come to their door for this new program?

What remarkable good news indeed for SBC. I had no idea that what was keeping our local economy in the dumps was the lack of having a Small Business Development Center to serve all those would be entrepreneurs and struggling small businesses that have been standing around with their thumbs up their ... well, you know. So now we have the ability to import more government money into the area as a measure of economic success. Unlike a defense contract from which the government gets a product/service that it cannot provide at lower cost or at all, this kind of money coming into the Sierra will just create dependency on more such money coming later. But the real question is from where does the SBC get the business acumen to actually serve as a competent SBDC helping to bolster or set up for-profit businesses? But then again, I suppose they could hire a bevy of new business savvy consultants.

Finally, I wonder if there is any metric that lets taxpayers evaluate the performance of a SBDC after the local progressives are done with their happy dancing. One thing is for certain though, Mr Frisch is very good at what he really does.

The demise of LIBS in Nov. is shining brightly. Iowa is a lost cause as of today
Yup, the domino effect has begun. Even in other states Lefties are losing ground by the day. In some cases LIBS are trying to hide behind the cloak of "independent". But it seems the voters are seeing through that curtain of BS.

Yes, Holder is jumping ship because he knows damned well the Right is going to clean house.
The last thing he wants is to face Senate investigators who can and would toss his ass in jail. Expect plenty other LIBS to flee the sinking SS. Obummer before it goes under.
Hell! "O" might pull a Nixon to escape criminal liability.

Eric holder started his AJ tenure by calling us a bunch of cowards. He has politicalized the Justice Department to its current unrecognized form and is proud of that fact. He has ordered every school district in the nation not to expel troublemaker students if they are students of color under the threat of inadvertent racism charges. He has ordered school districts not to ask an illegal immigrant student's age, even if they have wrinkles and gray sideburns. What grade do you place them then? And that was just in the last 60 days.

He has been held in contempt of Congress and all investigations concerning the Administration's various departments he has blocked. All scandals die in Eric Holder's Justice Department.

But it is intentional crafting of turning the Justice Department into a liberal activist wing of the Administration with 600,000 employees is what troubles me the most. Planned it that way. We are a nation of cowards and Eric has an ax to grind with Whitie. And he is making the whole nation pay.

Todd,
I cleared your comments because they do not cross a line. But your own blog is an unmoderated mud pit. Get your own house in order before you invite yourself into someone else’s. Didn’t mommy Juvinall teach you that? Your sister went to Stanford and your brother is a damn good tile man (so I hear). So what’s up with you and not moderating your blog? Grow up man. You’re into your late sixties now.

STANFORD Dammit......she went to Stanford!

I rather like your mud pit Todd...so much more fun than "jeffys house of being overly impressed with Stanford". Not to denigrate Stanford....but the FUE boys do bring a certain charm to the intertubes!

Better get a lawyer to hang a shingle just up from the Forest Hill bridge.
He will need plenty of last will and testaments, and release of liability forms on hand.
LIBS who just knew that they would never lose power, or "their guy" would get re-elected
will be trying to jump from center span. Liberalism is walking that "green mile".
Social justice has hit the skids, Global warming hysteria isn't working, and the U.S. is now becoming the leading producer of OIL!! ( by and on private land alone)
People are choosing prosperity over poverty, no matter what the current government has tried.
Word is out LIBS will be handed their walking papers wholesale in this election, and many may just wind up in jail. The new Repub Senate will be looking for a well deserved payback.
Oh Yes.. There will be gloating. It's our turn to say " sit down and shut up. WE won.
The adults will be back in charge.

I received this from the FUE this morning via private email. Is this guy creepy?

" When you talk to him, don't forget to mention your lawyer told me he knows your sister and my friend told me your brother is a good tiler, because he's been a customer.
Oh, and let's not forget this: http://sierradragonsbreathe.blogspot.com/2013/11/my-sisters-experience-with-obamacare.html ie, you even wrote about your sister.
And tell the Sheriff I said "hello," since we spoke four days ago. His cell number is plugged into my iPhone now.
My advice is that you give your keyboard a rest Todd. No need to respond.
Have a great day!
-Jeff "

Mother Jones has story about communities attempting to return their MRAPs HERE.

But some agencies have found the process of getting rid of unwanted military gear next to impossible. Agencies can't return or trade equipment without Defense Department approval, and because the Pentagon technically still owns the equipment, they can't sell it.

According to interviews with state officials running point between the Pentagon and police, the Defense Department prefers to leave equipment in circulation whenever possible. "It's a low-cost storage method for them," says Robb Davis, the mayor pro tem of Davis. His town is trying to shake its MRAP. "They're dumping these vehicles on us and saying, 'Hey, these are still ours, but you have to maintain them for us.'"

I told Sheriff Royal that he would rue the day he accepted his MRAP. There was no logistic support chain procured for MRAPs, yet he has to maintain the vehicle for the military. He cannot sell it, he cannot scrap it. He is stuck with it until he can find another community to take it off his hands.

I think Obama has some clinical depression going on. He is unable to get his agenda fully implemented as he did when he was a professor teaching law with a cloistered group of students. He is also bored. He has no passion in his canned speeches and his body language is something you might see in a ward of inmates cowed by the gusrds.

How the worm turns. LIBS yapped about "illegal war",, now are dead silent about their own "illegal" war. They got their wish about "get out of Iraq" despite the warnings of that fool's errand. They were warned..
Now those same LIBS are pounding the war drums to get re-elected. They only don the prosthetic nut sack when election time is near, and when the "bad guy" has already kicked in the front door.

He wanted the job, he just does not want the responsibility of the job.

I don't think the democratic presidents, at least the recent ones, even really want the job. They really enjoy the adoring crowds and vomiting out the towering empty rhetoric during the campaign.... triumphant photos where they point to gullible rubes in the crowd...but ultimately Obama, Clinton are like the dog who accidentally catches the car he's chasing. After getting it he doesn't really know what to do with it.

Unfortunately behind these guys are a dedicated cadre of people who do want to implement change....that rather odd looking space alien Valerie Jarrett springs to mind.... and hasn't Slumlord Millionaire just been a real treat.

Todd, when will you ever learn? Because you don't run your blog the exact way The Fat One demands you to, you done got yourself excommunicated from the Temple of His Assholiness. Now you go have to go join Fish in the penalty box. That should teach ya both.

Yep, quite creepy indeed. Paranoia has taken over the remnants of his mind. He just wants to be worshipped and adored you guys. Is that too much to demand? Thank goodness for Laura's Law.
Yessiree, very creepy. But not as creepy as seeing The Fat One reclining on the beaches of Tahoe. Didn't his mother tell him to wear sunblock on the high elevation lakes?

Todd.. A legend in his own mind... He loves his personal power trip, but that only extends to his own deserted landscape of a blog page. He has censorship powers and can play dictator. So why give him the time of day? I don't even give him the satisfaction of a "web hit count". I let sleeping sloths lie.
Why bother taking the time to type out your thoughts when you know they won't get past
the chubby finger?
He's a"public figure" alright,, no one can miss him walking down the street. ( flip flops, shorts by Omar the tent maker,, and a 40OZ Styrofoam soda cup.)

The Sac. LIBS have been running a two faced add against Doug Ose. They bitch about his votes,, yet fail to mention their slimy reps. vote for the same pay raises. They say he's gained more wealth,,, and their crew hasn't? LOL!!

There is a world out there that wants to move forward…and just when we think we are out they try to pull us back in! Don’t be fooled my friends….reject being pulled back in and make progress. The Joey Zasa’a of the world will fall by the wayside.

Forward proletariat.....for there's grant money to be had!

and yes jeffy I'm a "flatlander"......it's common knowledge that I don't live in the foothills....jeez try something original.....maybe tell me that "my mother wears combat boots" or something.

There is a world out there that wants to move forward…and just when we think we are out they try to pull us back in! Don’t be fooled my friends….reject being pulled back in and make progress. The Joey Zasa’a of the world will fall by the wayside.

Better a flatlander than a Fatlander I always say. .. He is now giving it one final push in a vain attempt to become relevant. Sad when all he wants is to be a big fish in a small pond and even that goal has eluded him and seems more unattainable by the hour. He could have been a contender except for da man in da mirror. That fellow is quite the bully, the town bully if you will. Not the way to gain relevance in society. I hate control freaks and mock bullies. Had such potential and now is reduced to doing layouts for the PennySaver. Yet the bully fights on to try and catch the wind. A tragic tale and ominous warning for all to learn from.

Mr. Bubba is trumpeting the Sacramento Bee and Merced Sun-Star's endorsement of Art Moore for congress, not bothering to mention that both papers are owned by the same outfit. They're just acting on the latest memo from corporate.

None of this is going to do Moore any good. Newspaper endorsement used to mean something, but now they're the equivalent of kiss from your sister: Nice to have, but not worth much.

After a nice tip-o-the cap from Patricia Smith regarding the work that Jim Hemig and Paul Emery put forth to help facilitate the debate, the graceless FUE weighs in with the following:

jeffpelline says:

October 2, 2014 at 10:54 am

I watched the presentations and found the behavior to be media grandstanding. Paul and Jim should have picked up the phone and called the LWV and asked them to handle the debate, just like I did. Otherwise, too much drama.

Reply

jeffy you are seamless...an ugly human being on the outside....an equally ugly human being on the inside!

Too much drama....? For you to be this obtuse it has to be willful!

I mean I'm an unpleasant jerk but I have to work at it......you manage it effortlessly!

Fish @ 11:37 am. "The graceless FUE weighs in..." Weighs in at how many pounds? Guess the graceless seamless one was simply trying to tip the scales on this debate to be included. Yep, senile drooling Uncle Jeffrie may spout a good idea now and then, but nobody takes him seriously nor listens. Just can't get no respect. There he goes drooling on himself again at the dinner table interrupting a perfectly good meal and conversation. .Most unsightly for a bully to wear a bib. Has a mug only a Mother could stomach.

Not that you guys care but I will tell you anyway. This blog has improved a great deal since the departure of those of us who hold a different political perspective. I still disagree with a large number of the opinions but without the personal attacks it is much easier to read. Less personal attacks and more substance. Kudos to everyone.

Come on, let's hear it for the Fab Five with their wide belts and combat boots. Yes, brother Ben, it been much nicer, friendlier, kinder gentler thoughtful posts with way less hostility since the bullies left. Those drive by flamers can come here, but our BS sniffers are on alert. The price of liberty is everlasting vigilance.

If people here continue to scream at everyone with whom they disagree, the discussions will be completely one sided and we will learn nothing (like Cartman's blog). Listen to what Ben has to say. Try to understand where he is coming from. You might learn something, even if you do not agree with it.

Thanks Barry,
Even with my admission of once the opposition opinions removed themselves the blog got much better they still couldn't accept it and had to throw in some insulting language. I sincerely came here originally trying to find common ground but got caught up and then addicted to the negativity. Oh well, my statement still stands. Still has its moments but prior to the opposition opinions leaving this blog was toxic in my opinion. I will continue to try and find common ground with all political stripes but have accepted that this blog is too much for me to keep my cool.

Here is what I was hoping to accomplish when I first came to Rebane's Ruminations. I guess without being face to face with food makes common ground harder to find.

Excerpts from The End of Divide and Conquer-

"Stan Meckler exclaims, “I think sitting down with you and talking may be the most important meeting of my life.”

I reply, “Stan, I think this is probably the most important meeting of my life, too.”

Neither one of us is kidding and this is why. We are “enemies” — supposedly.

He is a Tea Party founder and I’m some kind of lefty extremist. That is what we have been told through the political pundits, in the blogosphere, online comments, and pretty much through any conversation you hear around the water cooler: Stan Meckler and Reinette Senum can’t possibly get along because we do not see eye to eye, and we certainly must dislike each other."

"Within the first minute of meeting, we clearly know it’s not true. We are not enemies."

"We also agree much is at stake with our nation right now. We come to the conclusion that it’s more critical to our well-being to actively seek common ground among those we are told are our common enemies than to constantly focus on our differences, creating the ultimate roadblocks to our healthy and prosperous future."

Sandbox is definitely an apt name for this discussion. I'm of the belief that both Bush and Obama have done deeds that would be deserving of a prison term. I commend and respect the efforts of Paul Emery, George Rebane, Reinette Senum, and Stan Meckler to look for the common ground amongst us vs. dwell on our differences. It is obvious that both Jeff Pelline and George Rebane benefit from each others blogs. Sometimes it is better to remain silent...

So are you choosing to label conservatives as pragmatic? Convenient. I find both sides sharing all those labels at one time or another. Far more of us should analyze (including the money trail..) all leaders as to their motives.

If liberals would admit they are as bad as those they complain about then maybe there is common ground. My experience is the liberals name call, use derisive terms, declare themselves better and denigrate the opposition far worse than any conservative. Then after they have poisoned the well they come back and complain about the name calling. I have yet to see anything of value from the left except their trashing of most things the right holds dear. F;lag, family, education, capitalism etc. So, when the left starts doing the mea culpa's and apologizes profusely and consistently, I think we will have a great divide.

Barry tried to be civil with Pelline for instance. All he gets in return is namecalling and derision. That is the finest example on these blogs. Ben Emery name calls in a "nice" way but it still is the same thing. Language and tone of language are very important.

Todd.. have you ever read some of your own posts? You accuse your 'enemies' of the very deeds you yourself commit. I often want to sink to someone else's level in a conversation. A lot more often I choose not to. I hope that I continue to evolve and be a better man. I think most would agree that your divides are self created.

No Jon, you have attacked me yourself numerous times and then I simply give you better. That is life. I am a better man and my life has been full of blessing and I have evolved very well. You liberals dish it out and then whine and cry when we stand up to you. My guess is you were an oly child. Too funny!

I have always believed Brother Ben has a big heart. I also believe that my Brother Ben deflects attention off the topic/subject matter onto the less fortunate and the evils in this world and constantly focuses on these side bar issues, many of which have nothing to do with Dr. Rebane's posts. Be that as it may, Ben will never bite the hand extended in sincerity or friendship, will ya you bleeding heart libhole? :)

I, myself, and me believe that innate human nature is the root cause of all the ills in this world, not some evil heartless faceless corporation or corrupt government. I tend to focus on the individual character flaws and shortcomings that make up a group, while Ben points out the symptoms of human failings and focuses on the "group" or "they". I would say the first man born on the planet murdered his brother and we have not evolved at all while Ben might say someday there will be no wars, no greed, no envy, no killings. Fat chance In my never humble opinion. Pride consumes us all.

Former Golden Gloves boxer Paul is tormented that we just won't admit that Bush is just as bad as Obama if not worse. Drives him crazier than two rats in a sock when we sidestep the his Bush Derangement Syndrome with silence or argue back and refuse to take the bait, but Paul is a good man.

Bill,
First off I have always liked you witty exchanges with people and although I might disagree with many of them I respect them for their honesty.

The reason I choose to focus on the large corporations and corrupt governments is both of those things affect all of our lives. At the individual level most people are decent and fair, not all but most. There will always be war because a small few are greedy and want more. The fact of the matter is the masses of the world want to live in peace. Want to be neighborly and cooperative to each other. It is those with huge amounts of money and power that keep this from happening. If the people would unite on the commonalities instead of fighting amongst each other on the petty differences we could actually achieve a more egalitarian world, which would be a much better place to live. Planet Earth is a spec of dust in the all the galaxies and we are the only advanced form of life that we know of, so in essence we are alone for hundreds of millions of miles in all directions.

George,
Just wanted to let the blog know I thought there was a big improvement on the content over the last few months. Much more educational and pleasant to read without the circus of insults and personal attacks always going on.

Ben, nice to correspond with you, albeit on a public forum that is forever now on the records of humankind.
Of course, there is a bit of bad in the best of us and a bit of good in the worst of us. One may despise all neighbors, but will also be the first to show up and help if he spots a neighbor's garage ablaze. All in all we desire to do good and live in peace with our world as well as within ourselves. And, yes, the negativity is deliciously intoxicating and addictive yet unsatisfing..

I give you a hard time cause I believed so much as you do. I am just a hell more jaded now. As an old saying goes, "looks like you have never been stabbed cause you sure are acting like it." Ok, try this one from the movie The Big Chill. The young gal graduates from college to save the world and becomes a public defender, the defender of the voiceless, the down trodden, the underdog. Turn the page in time as she realized she is just defending low life scum she would never desire to have over to her house. Perhaps I focus on the low life scum too much, and you focus too much on the young public defender's ideals and idealism before reality set it, in my never humble opinion.

The gist of this monologue is we all have opinions. My opinion is important, but only important to me in the grand scheme of things. Your opinion is important as well, but really only important to you.

My opinion is I am like Yogi the Bear getting ready to swing down on a rope and snatch a pic-a-nic basket. Then comes along Boo Boo Brother Ben (my little friend with the over active conscious) and says "Gee Yogi, Mr. Ranger would not like that." Geez Whiz Boo Boo, lighten up, Neither one of us are Mr Ranger, but we don his hat at various times depending on the topic and our own life experience. Ok, enough of this psycho babble. Hope this kinder gentler conservatism does not spread like gangrene, scrot.

I knew last year I was putting enough water under the bridge when I ordered a nice solid hardware bench from Nam. Gave it a couple coats of polyurethane and the 7 foot bench is the perfect fit under 2 windows for indoor succulents and orchids.. Besides the pool boys can stand on it when dusting the blinds. Heavy and cheap, just like my women.

Just yesterday I was talking to a German lady that has been here since 1947. She was 20 years old when we started bombing the day lights out of her town and the Americans were approaching. Everyone believed the Americans were ruthless and the rumors spread that the GIs have long knives in their teeth and would kill them all and slit their throats. As the Americans entered her town, she and her girlfriend hopped on bicycles and fled for their lives and hid in the mountains.
I asked her what brought her to the US and she said she married a GI. I said "What, you married the enemy!" We both just laughed and laughed. Time may heal all wounds but I still will never watch a Jane Fonda movie to this day. But, I did get a kick when Hanoi Jane called another woman the C word. Guess she forgot the 11th commandment of "Never call thy woman the C word" or any woman that word. Maybe it is time to see a Jane Fonda movie now that I am in a transitional phase. Just kidding. Burn that C at the stake.

Now 30 excuses for no warming and counting.
Just wait for the scientific moochers to have their hand out for billions in grant money to find out why they were SO wrong. They have big house payments and high end cars to replace, from the last round of other people's money they got.

Bill,
I will take your comment as the truth. So in essence I choose to believe/ identify in the good of the masses and you choose to believe/ identify with the bad of the masses. Vice Versa when we look at the wealthy and powerful. I see the beauty and importance with things as they were created and you seem to focus on the "potential" for economic gains with most things either directly or indirectly, which has its place and importance but also it has great dangers when we lose sight of the balance between existence between humans and nature. There are very few animals that will destroy or deplete necessary environment or food sources to the levels that will be detrimental for future generations. Sometimes it happens but very rarely does it happen due to their direct actions. Humans are the only animal that I know of that does this for ourselves and other living ecosystems *. These actions are caused by large institutions and demands that are driven by those large institutions in the pursuit of profits. These institutions can be governments or industry/ corporations. This is why I support and advocate for bio-regionalism or regional/ local economies, self determination, control by the people of size and scope of corporations/ industries. The closer to the people who are directly affected by these companies/ industries and government the more the people will be involved and the more representative these institutions become. I know conservatives believe this is their idea but true progressives live and breath these ideas.

*http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/biodiversity/elements_of_biodiversity/extinction_crisis/
Excerpt
"Unlike past mass extinctions, caused by events like asteroid strikes, volcanic eruptions, and natural climate shifts, the current crisis is almost entirely caused by us — humans. In fact, 99 percent of currently threatened species are at risk from human activities, primarily those driving habitat loss, introduction of exotic species, and global warming [3]. Because the rate of change in our biosphere is increasing, and because every species’ extinction potentially leads to the extinction of others bound to that species in a complex ecological web, numbers of extinctions are likely to snowball in the coming decades as ecosystems unravel."